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preface maps of time
spring
1 . east wind melts the ice february 5 through 9
2 . dormant creatures start to twitch february 10 through 14
3 . fish swim upstream, breaking the ice february 15 through 19
4 . river otters sacrifice fish february 20 through 24
5 . wild geese head north february 25 through 28
6 . grasses and trees sprout march 1 through 5
7 . peach blossoms open march 6 through 10
8 . golden orioles sing march 11 through 15
9 . hawks become doves march 16 through 21
10 . swallows return march 22 through 26
11 . thunder sings march 27 through 31
12 . first lightning april 1 through 5
13 . paulownia blooms april 6 through 10
14 . moles become quails april 11 through 15
15 . rainbows appear april 16 through 21
16 . floating weeds appear april 22 through 26
17 . pigeons flap their wings april 27 through may 1
18 . the hoopoe alights in the mulberry may 2 through 6
summer
19 . little frogs peep may 7 through 11
20 . worms come forth may 12 through 16
21 . cucurbit flourishes may 17 through 21
22 . bitter herb grows tall may 22 through 26
23 . waving grasses wither may 27 through 31
24 . grain ripens june 1 through 5
25 . mantids hatch june 6 through 10
26 . the shrike begins to shriek june 11 through 15
27 . the mockingbird loses its voice june 16 through 20
28 . deer break antlers june 21 through 25
29 . cicadas sing june 26 through 30
30 . the crowdipper plant flourishes july 1 through 5
center
31 . hot winds arrive july 6 through 10
32 . crickets come into the walls july 11 through 15
33 . the hawk studies and learns july 16 through 20
34 . rotted weeds turn into fireflies july 21 through 25
35 . earth is steaming wet july 26 through 30
36 . great rains sweep through july 31 through august 5
fall
37 . cool wind arrives august 6 through 10
38 . white dew descends august 11 through 15
39 . the cold cicada chirps august 16 through 20
40 . the raptor sacrifices birds august 21 through 25
41 . heaven and earth turn strict august 26 through 30
42 . rice ripens august 31 through september 4
43 . wild geese come september 5 through 9
44 . swallows leave september 10 through 14
45 . flocks of birds gather grain september 15 through 20
46 . thunder pipes down september 21 through 25
47 . beetles wall up their burrows september 26 through 30
48 . waters dry up october 1 through 5
49 . wild geese come as guests october 6 through 10
50 . sparrows enter the water and turn into clams october 11 through 15
51 . chrysanthemums are tinged yellow october 16 through 21
52 . the wolf sacrifices the beasts october 22 through 26
53 . leaves turn yellow and fall october 27 through 31
54 . insects tuck themselves away november 1 through 5
55 . water begins to freeze november 6 through 10
56 . earth begins to freeze november 11 through 15
57 . pheasants enter the water and turn into monster clams november 16 through 20
58 . rainbows hide november 21 through 25
59 . heaven's essence rises; earth's essence sinks november 26 through 30
60 . walled up and closed, winter takes hold december 1 through 5
61 . the copper pheasant is silent december 6 through 10
62 . the tiger begins to roam december 11 through 15
63 . garlic chives sprout december 16 through 20
64 . earthworms twist december 21 through 25
65 . elk break antlers december 26 through 30
66 . springwaters move december 31 through january 4
67 . wild geese return to their northern home january 5 through 9
68 . magpies nest january 10 through 14
69 . the pheasant cock calls its mate january 15 through 19
70 . pheasant hens brood january 20 through 24
71 . the vulture flies stern and swift january 25 through 29
72 . streams and marshes are frozen solid january 30 through february 4
appendix seventy-two periods of the year in china, japan, and northern california afterword acknowledgments index
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Randal Roome
reviewed East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons on October 03, 2014
East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons
I started out dipping into this book and last week decided I would read it through. I'm glad I did, because I really got the feeling of the ebb and flow of the seasons, based on the rise and fall of yin and yang influences throughout the year based on the ancient Chinese almanac. The Japanese adapted this to their own culture and climate centuries ago.
In this system of the almanac, the year is divided into 72 units of 5 days, each unit is named according to an observable feature of the natural world. For each 5 day period, Dalby writes a short essay, inspired by that feature. She wrote it over 2 years, one in Japan and one in her home in California, contemplating the changes taking place at that time and weaving stories from literature, traditional tales, her own life and the lives of friends into the theme for that period.
East wind Melts the Ice is the name of the first 5 day period, from February 5 through 9, and heralds the beginning of spring. Dalby explains the philosophical system underlying the Asian calendar, and keeps feeding us information all the way through as opportunities arise. The second is 'dormant creatures start to twitch'. Haiku and other poetry expressing the essence of seasonal features, phases of the moon, behaviour of animals and birds are included throughout.
Dalby's depth and breadth of knowledge is impressive. She is well-known for her writings on Japanese culture, and here she discusses evolution of Chines and Japanese script, shifts in word or character meanings over time, as well as why she has chosen particular phrases in translating poetry. For instance, the August 6-10 unit is called 'cool wind arrives'. she writes about it:
'The wind itself is invisible. We see the grass bend and ripple, or smell the ocean door the wind carries to our noses, or feel a cool sensation against our skin, or hear the tinkle of wind chimes. By its effect on other things we experience the wind.
Basho composed a haiku beginning with the arresting phrase "Color of the wind":
Fushoku ya shodori ni ueshi niwa no aki (Matsuo Basho 1694)
Color of the wind
sparsely planted
autumn garden
Fushoku has several layers of meaning including "weather", "scenery" and "view". Nuances even extend to "disposition," or "attitude"; but in the context of this haiku a literal "color of the wind" is meant as well'. And so on to talk about windflowers, wind chimes,and Lafcadio Hearn.
In an appendix, she explains that in the Japanese version of the book she wrote first, there were many things she did not need to spell out - the nature of the cherry blossom celebrations, or who Murasaki was. By contrast, in the version she wrote in English, there are aspects of American life and culture that she doesn't need to spell out, whereas the Japanese equivalents need to be explained. I found them all fascinating, as they are very different from the South Australian environment in which I live.
I plan to dip into this book on a continuing basis and my next journey through it will be to match the seasonal observations, northern vs southern hemisphere, and see what i can observe in my own beautiful part of the world.
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Add East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons, Writing in luminous prose, Liza Dalby, acclaimed author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki, brings us this elegant and unique year's journal— a brilliant mosaic that is at once a candid memoir, a gardener's diary, and an enlightening excursi, East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons, Writing in luminous prose, Liza Dalby, acclaimed author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki, brings us this elegant and unique year's journal— a brilliant mosaic that is at once a candid memoir, a gardener's diary, and an enlightening excursi, East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir through the Seasons to your collection on WonderClub |
